


Monsters, the real ones, don't hide under my bed (they walk freely in the streets)

by Yra



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Minor Zack Fair/Genesis, Mostly Fluff, Multi, Not too Graphic Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2019-08-24 23:15:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16649704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yra/pseuds/Yra
Summary: "Hey ya'll, my name is Zack Fair! I'm pretty young by monster standards but I'm already pretty high up in the hierarchy. I'm replacing some guy named Lizard  -Lazard, his name was... -  Lazard, of course. So, I'm replacing that guy for some reason, I kinda feel like they made a mistake or something, know what I mean? Why would they choose me, I'm kind of a happy-go-lucky guy so why would they assign me to this job, huh? Why not Genesis instead? Genesis would do a great  -get to the point Zack -  so anyway I'm the new MAD  -Monster Assignment Division -  head! Pretty crazy, huh?"Zack Fair, newly appointed at the head of MAD, is absolutely baffled as he comes across a few cases. Children Aerith Gainsborough, Sephiroth Valentine, Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockheart aren't afraid of their appointed monsters and haven't been in a long, long time. Zack, always the hero of the situation, decides to send himself.





	1. What is blood, really?

**Author's Note:**

> This idea comes from a prompt I saw somewhere I don't really remember, but I loved the idea. I don't remember exactly what the prompt was but it was something like this: You're the one assigning the monster under the beds of children and there's this one kid who simply isn't scared no matter which monster you send so you assign yourself. So this is my take on it!

"Sephi?

-What is it, Aeri?

-Will he be coming back? He's scary..."

The white-haired boy looked around the small, very small room. 

"Not tonight.

-But... but he will come back?"

The girl curled up in the boy's arms and let tears escaped her emerald green eyes.

"I don't want him to come back. Please, _please_ , don't let him come back."

The white-haired boy held the girl's head close to his heart, knowing that the sound helped her fall back asleep. His small hand played in her hair, so soft despite it being as dirty as it was. He knew his own mane wasn't any better anyway. The small body in his arms, the weight of the girl, the tears that were drying on his dirty shirt... they were all his responsibility. It was his job to keep her safe, wasn't it?

As the two children sat on the floor, a pair of glowing red eyes lit up under the metal frame of one of the beds.

Acid green eyes met them

* * *

 

"Hey ya'll, my name is Zack Fair! I'm pretty young by monster standards but I'm already pretty high up in the hierarchy. I'm replacing some guy named Lizard -Lazard, his name was... - Lazard, of course. So, I'm replacing that guy for some reason, I kinda feel like they made a mistake or something, know what I mean? Why would they choose me, I'm kind of a happy-go-lucky guy so why would they assign me to this job, huh? Why not Genesis instead? Genesis would do a great -get to the point Zack - so anyway I'm the new MAD -Monster Assignment Division - head! Pretty crazy, huh?"

Angeal groaned in the palm of his hand, trying to resist the urge to bang his head against the wall. 'Well, at least this is pre-recorded and we'll be able to edit everything that doesn't fit out" thought the tall humanoid. His wing flickered a bit as he breathed through his nose to calm himself a little before addressing the younger male.

"Zack, just say the text, nothing else. And I _mean_ nothing else.

-But Angeal...

-No.

-But...

-No.

- _But_...

- **NO**!

-... fine then...

-Start over."

Mumbling about boring mentors, Zack took his place back on the boring, uncomfortable high chair that stood behind a boring high desk inside a boring office with boring paintings and started reciting his boring speech again. When he finished it for the who-know-how-many-times-already, Angeal came to him with a big smile and slapped his shoulder with enough strength to almost sent him tumbling out of the metal seat.

"Perfect! You looked professional and it went perfectly! I think that's a wrap!

-YES!!

-Haha, glad to see you're happy about that! Now let's get you ready for your intervi...

- _URRRRGH_!!"

* * *

 

"Sephi? Is he gone?

-Yeah. He's gone.

-And is he coming back?

-Aeri...

-... oh..." 

The girl squeezed the boy's hand in hers. It was simply the beginning of a new night for the kids. Nothing to be afraid of, right?

* * *

"I get it Angeal.

-You need to take this seriously.

-Hey, my name is Zack Fair, not Reno!

-Exactly my point.

-Oh, come on Angeal!"

The door to Zack's office opened with a bang.

"Can **SOMEBODY** explain to me why the **FUCK** the **PUPPY** got the job and **NOT _ME_?**

-Yeah, what he says! Why did I get the job?"

Angeal looked at the wall in front of himself and tried to refrain from bawling his eyes out. 'How am I supposed to be able to deal with the BOTH of them?'

"Genesis, Zack, could you just...

-No, Angeal, I will not...

-... go talk with Shinra about all of this because  **clearly** _,_ I don't know either what he was thinking when he gave the job to Zack."

Genesis puffed his chest and let out an 'of course I thought you would agree with me' and Zack let out a disgruntled sound.

"Y'know, just because I say I don't understand why I got the job doesn't mean that this didn't sting..."

* * *

"Aeri? Wake up, come on, please wake up...

-She's not getting up."

The boy stood up and turned on his heels fast enough that the room span a little in front of his eyes. In front of him was...

"M-monster...

-Yes, I am."

The white-haired boy swallowed down the bile that had risen up his throat and stretched his arms, trying to hide the girl from the monster's sight. A deep laugh filled the concrete box that was the kids' room.

"Well, well, well, ain't you a courageous little boy, protecting your little sister...

-She's not my sister!

-Oh, what is blood, really. Who cares about that, courageous little boy? Well, I smell fear. It is enough for tonight... good night, little boy..."

The monster disappeared in a cloud of black smoke and ink and the boy fell to the ground, his body intercepted by the cold, unforgiving hard floor. His breathing got uneasy and his vision filled with dots of black and red, taking the shape of the creature. Bile rose up the boy's throat again and this time, the boy threw it up on the floor, a small puddle of greenish liquid appearing beside him. Not that the boy could see it. Panic took control of him and he grabbed his hair tight, rolling himself in the smallest ball possible, closing his eyes as hard as he could but still seeing the monster behind his eyelids.

Somehow... 

This still wasn't as scary as what he saw each day.

* * *

"Hey, still remember how to play that song? 

-Hum. Which one?

-The one about stars.

-Oh! Twinkle twinkle little star... this one?

-Yeah! Play it?

-Yeah!"

Both kids run back inside the girl's home, passing the kitchen -Kids, stop running! You'll hurt yourselves!-, up the stairs an finally inside the girl's room and in front of the piano. The boy sat behind the girl, on the bed, and the girl sat on the piano's bench. 

"Ayo, ayo, ladies and gents, here is, for you tonight, the one and only, the beautiful and intelligent..."

The kids giggled a little, finding this little ritual between the two of them to be way funnier than it ever really was. Once they finally calmed down, they looked at each other, nodded once and screamed at the top of their lungs:

"Tifa Lockhart of Nibelheim!"

Downstairs, missis Lockhart smiled gently. 'Oh, sweet kids' she thought with affection. She kept on cooking as she listened to her daughter play the piano for this little boy that was like a son to her. The smell of beef stew soon rose from the cooking pots. 

"Kids, go wash your hands! Dinner is ready!"

No noises.

"Kids?"

Nothing.

Already, missis Lockhart knew. She knew, oh, she knew, that her two precious children had been taken.

 


	2. "Four kids are not enough for me to get my panties in a twist" Zack Fair 2k18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Final_Fantasy_VII_enemies --- THIS WILL BE USEFUL ALL THROUGHOUT THE STORY!!!!!!! It's a list of FFVII enemies/monsters and I will be using a lot of them!

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

"I hate this jooooooooooooob."

He resumed banging his head on his desk.

Bang.

Bang. 

Bang.

"I. Hate. This. Job. It's so boring! Argh!"

Zack jumped on his feet and started doing some squats. Almost an hour later, he finally sat back down and looked at the paperwork in front of him. The pile was so high that he couldn't even see over it. 

"Alright, let's at least try to do something today."

So Zack grabbed the first file. Something about a child who was using the monster assigned to her like a teddy bear. In hindsight, perhaps Lazard should have thought about it a little more before accepting Chocobos in MAD. A Death Dealer should do the trick. Another kid was so terrified of his monster that he fainted every time he saw it. It was a Goblin. Actually, a Chocobo might still be terrifying to _that_ kid.

Bang.

Bang

Bang.

* * *

"I'm telling you, Angeal, those kids are a _nightmare_ to deal with. No matter what I send to them, they stop being afraid after a night or two. Allemagnes, Sneaky Steps, Stingers, Bandersnatches, Tonberries, Zolokalters, I even sent those three weirdos Gi Nattak, Jenova: DEATH and Sample: H0512. I sent Maximum Kimaira, Leviathan, Odin... Unless Genesis succeeds somehow, I've got no idea what I can do. Maybe if I send a dragon or something? Oh, well, you know what? If Genesis doesn't succeed, I'm leaving these kids alone.

-Just think of all the nourishment we can harvest off of them if you succeed! We are almost starving, Zack, we need all the nourishment we can get.

-It's _four_ kids. Four kids are not enough for me to get my panties in a twist. Or should I say boxer briefs since I don't wear panties? But boxer briefs don't have the same..."

As Zack went on rambling about weird sayings, Angeal thought about what Zack had said about those four kids. Truly, Lazard would have given up far before then. 'Not at his beginning' he remembered. At some point, the pale-haired Humanoid had gone himself to the side of a child who nothing could scare. He came back changed, distressed and depressed. It took him a long time to get back to who he once was and even then, he never acted quite the same after that...

"... but you know, I guess I could always assign myself.

- **No!**

 **-** Eh? Why?

-I...

-It's settled then! If Genesis doesn't succeed then I'm going!

-Zack, please, don't.

-But _whyyyyy?_

-Just...

-Just what?

-... be cautious, alright?

-Yeah, of course. Oh, Gen should be back any minute now. I told him we'd be at Fang's around the time his shift would be over but I don't know if he'll join us right away. I don't think he likes that type of calm bars all that much, does he?"

The winged Humanoid looked around the bar and could only agree.

Fang's was, quite honestly, as tame as it got in the Monster Realm. Since it tended mostly to Anomaly types and Beast types, the only Humanoid monsters were Zack and himself. Alcohol didn't affect Humanoids in the same way as it did the other monsters. Instead of getting them Slow and sometimes inducing them into Sleep, it tended to produce the contrary effect on them, getting them Hyper and even Berserk. Humanoid bars were, without a doubt, disordered and _explosive_ , which meant that Genesis felt right at home in them. 

"He definitely will not like this bar.

-By the _Goddess_ are you right, this... _thing_ that tries to pass itself as a _bar_ is absolutely _desolate_. 

-Oh? So, how did it go with the kids? Managed to scare them? Zack told me about them.

-Oh, good Goddess, no. These kids are hard asses."

Zack banged his head on the table.

"Well, these kids are costing more to harvest than they can produce. Oh well. I'll pull you from this assignment and go myself, Gen, so don't worry about it.

-Zack, I will _desert_ if you take the assignment from me.

-What? That's not a joke to make, Genesis! Don't say that in public, you idiot. Remember why Lazard disappeared?

-Oh, as if I care."

Angeal watched the two exuberant humanoids for a while, truly afraid that the two people he cared the most about would end up exactly like the last head of MAD

* * *

"Cloud?

-Tifa, what is it?

-How long have we been here?"

The boy looked at the concrete. One mark every three meals. Six hundred and seventy-two marks, he counted after a while. Two months until it would be two years. He told her as much.

"Oh. It's been a long time, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

-And what about you two?"

The white-haired boy, taller than anyone in the room, and the green-eyed girl both raised their heads but they didn't have a precise answer. 

"I've been here since my mama died, I think. I remember that I had to climb to get on the bed. Now... I just have to sit" said the girl.

"... I don't think I've ever been anywhere else" said the boy.

Cloud and Tifa held hands. They were trembling, afraid that someday they wouldn't remember what life was outside of this place.

* * *

"Okay, so you remember the plan? I even wrote it down so that you won't forget the details. It's _imperative_ that you do as I say, otherwise, you could completely massacre all my efforts. I _will_ manage to harvest them, and I honestly do not need you to be there. Oh, why were you chosen for this job? 

-Hey, if you want my job, just say so, Gen. I will _gladly_ give it to you.

-'Infinite in mystery is the gift of...'

-Oh hell no you will _not_..."

Sometimes, Zack wondered why he was friends with Genesis. Were they friends? The black-haired Humanoid looked at the red-clad one. 'Yeah, I guess we are... Anyone else telling him to not recite his beloved Loveless wouldn't have a head anymore. And... I don't think I wouldn't have tried to kill him either at some point for reciting it if I didn't appreciate his company even a little bit...'

"... think we could that?

-Huh?

-Were you even listening to me? By the Goddess, Fair...

-Huh...

-I was saying, I think I'll be in need of a few bottles once we go back, and I think you'll need some too. So if you want to grab some alcohol on the way back, and if you want to come and...  _hang out_ , we could do that too."

'Ah, yes, that might actually be the one thing that prevents us from killing each other'. The two of them didn't meet often to _hang out_ , but both knew that it was only about immediate gratification and release and nothing more. Zack was too much of a sappy romantic to get attached to someone as volatile as Genesis, and Genesis was too in love with Angeal to even think of anything more than a friend-with-benefits arrangement. They, however, still saw the appeal of a partner who knew them and knew what they wanted each time.

"Yeah, sure, we'll see.

-Good. Now that that is taken care of, we need to go soon. The four kids are in the same bedroom, as you know, and since there are two beds, we'll be able to manifest there pretty easily. Are you ready, Fair?

-Hell yeah! Hum...

-What is it?

-I have never been in the human realm before...

-You _what_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well well well, would you look at that! A chapter! And not even two weeks since the first one!


	3. Fair is right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you look at that? I am still alive! :D

Tifa had barely been dragged out of the room when he spoke up.

"Is he gone?

-Seph?

-Is the Wing gone?

-Yeah, he is. Are you okay?

-Yes. Is Aerith awake?"

Cloud looked at the girl who was sleeping on the bed next to him.

"She's still out. Seph?

-Yeah? 

- _Are you okay?_ "

Silver hair fell in front of the taller boy's face and swayed left and right. Cloud sighed and kissed the top of Aerith's hand before he placed it back on the bed they were both on. He crossed the three steps that separated him from Sephiroth and kneeled in front of him. He put his small hands an the other boy's tighs. 

"You know you can tell me what's going on. Always. 

-It's just... Aerith, it drains her. They're draining her.

-I know.

-If only I wasn't a failure, if only I had been a perfect specimen, just like her...

-She was born from a Cetra mother and you were not. It's normal. It's not your fault.

-But she's dying, Cloud!"

She was. She was and the four of them knew it. All that they were forced to do, all the orders they obeyed... it was killing Aerith slowly and there was nothing they could do about it.

* * *

"I'm telling you Angeal, they ignored us!"

Genesis watched as Zack was trying to explain everything that had happened. 

"What do you mean, they didn't see you? You did deactivate the camo suits, yes?

-Of course, we did! Even when we waved our swords in front of their faces, no reactions. They. Didn't. See. Us. Genesis, tell him."

The man took a long drag of his cigarette, holding it loosely between his pointer and middle finger. He exhaled the smoke just as slowly as he inhaled it, letting it rise slowly from his mouth. He had always loved the visual of it, always hated the smell of it, but oh well, what wouldn't he do for his aesthetics?

"Fair is right, Hewley. 

-But that's not possible!

-Would I lie about something so serious?

-But...

-Look, Fair might have seemed like a questionable choice for this job but he actually knows what the fuck he's doing. He knows everything there is to know about MAD, from the regulated equipment to the specific forgiveness spells used when kids are resistant to Chocobos' magic to the janitors that work in the offices. He even helped design the newest suits, for fuck's sake. The boy clearly knows what he's doing, alright? So calm down, you damn helicopter mom."

Angeal sputtered a little, starting sentences he simply couldn't say and eyes wide like saucers. He glanced at Zack, asking with his face if that was true.

"Look, I really appreciate that you've helped me so much over the years and you are just like an older brother to me but god, if you could just trust me from times to times, that would be nice."

Content that his words had visibly gotten through the bigger man's head, Genesis took another drag of smoke.

"So, now that this is settled and taken care of, mind getting back to the issue at hand? The kids didn't see us. We originally wanted to keep it between the two of us but you know more about kids themselves than Fair and I, so Angeal, any ideas?

-Hm. I've been around since MAD was created and I've never heard of something like that happening, _ever_. "

Zack thought of something, opened his mouth, closed it, reopened it...

"Guys, what if they saw us but ignored us?

-Oh, please, Fair, as if kids could  _ignore_ a man dressed in red from head to toes with a _wing_ and another six feet something one that _appeared out of thin air in their room_ while waving swords in their faces. 

-But the kids aren't scared no matter who we send...

-... you know what, it makes more sense the more you talk about it. Come to think of it, the kids did have a reaction when we entered. We thought it might have been because of the wind we made but..."

Angeal was about to tear his hair out as he listened to his best friend and his not-anymore student.

"Are you _**kidding** _me? That's not possible, you hear me? Not. Possible.

-And who said that, Angeal-dearest?

-Frost? What are you doing here?

-You forgot your keys at my place and since you were supposed to go straight home after coming here, I thought they could be useful

-... thanks..."

A Snow-type Humanoid was standing behind Genesis' head, leaning over him and holding the back of his chair for support while giving the keys to the largest man that was seated at the table.

'If that wench doesn't move in a second I swear Imma cut a fucking bitch' thought the red-haired man as he felt the wave of cold hair that followed the Snow-types everywhere. He saw a pretty, thin hand stretch above his head, a few jewelled chains and trinkets hanging from the pale blue wrist.

"Are you gonna introduce me to your friends, dear? Or I can leave if you would prefer me to, of course. I wouldn't want to bother you three."

Genesis knew, without even looking, that the bitch probably had a nice cute little smile on her lips and a face of complete warmth and openness. The red-hair was about to open his mouth to tell her to get the fuck away but Angeal cut him off.

"Yes, of course! Why don't you sit with us for a little while? After all, you went to the trouble of coming and giving me my keys. There's this chair that you- or you can sit on my lap, I guess that works too. So, you guys, this is Frost. I have been seeing her for a little over two months now. Frost, this tall over-eager puppy is Zack, I know I've talked to you about him, and this and this constantly sulking ball of red clothing and hair is my oldest friend, Genesis.

-Hello, I'm happy to meet you! I've heard so much about you two from Ang!"

Zack answered excitedly to the frankly stunningly beautiful woman while Genesis downed his drink and motioned the server for another drink.

It was going to be a long, long night, he just knew it.

* * *

"Subject number two, describe your experience today as the Wings entered the room during your slumber.

-My dream felt warmer, and I felt more energy.

-What else?

-That is all.

-Hum. Dismissed."

The girl stood up and followed the armed guard that would bring her back to the other three. She was so, so tired. So tired...

* * *

Zack woke up with a mouthful of red hair. He spat out the long strands that belonged to Genesis and sat up on his bed, disturbing the Wing's sleep.

"What are you doing awake at this hour of the night, Fair?

-What if the kids don't see us because we're not the scariest things they've ever seen?

-Urg, please, this is clearly the case. You sent every kind of monsters in existence to them, of course, we are not the scariest they've seen...

-That is not what I meant, Gen.

-Then, pray tell, what did you mean?" 

Zack held up a finger as he yawned. He shook his head slowly and was stretching out his back as he answered.

"Well, the four of them were in the same room, yeah? But none of them shares the same name."

Genesis made a vague noise to let him know he'd heard as he rose up to straddle the darker haired man.

"Gen, not the... oh, you know what? Okay, sure, why not. Anyways, they, ah, they're not orphans, fuck, I think."

A loud pop was resonated in the room as the red-head freed his mouth.

"You almost right about this, the Goddess has not retaken all of their parents. I think the Gainsborough is an orphan, however, nothing exists about her mother- his hand was now wrapped around Zack's dick- The other girl's parents are both alive, Strife's father has disappeared but is alive and Valentine's mum is dead. 

-Yeah, so... huh, yeah, so as I was saying. They have parentssssss, _no_ , _no No NO_... ARGH, why the _hell_ do you like biting my nuts??"

A little chuckle was his answer.

"My friend, the Fates are cruel...

-Yeah, right. Moooving on. They should live with their parents but clearly they, ahhh, they don't. Why's that? Ihuuuh, I think they were k-kidnapped. Hum, oh yeah, just like that... So they don't fear usssss 'cause they already feartheoneswhokidnappedtHEM!"

Genesis took the time to swallow before he rose up, licking his lips to remove all trace of cum that might have stained them. 

"How is it that you thought about that as you slept?

-A nightmare I had, it traumatised me so much. I was scared of flying from a stool when I was young so my dad threw me from a cliff into the sea. After that, the stool wasn't scary anymore. It got me thinking that it probably was the same for them, yeah? And everything else just came to me like some sort of epiphany.

-Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess, indeed.

-Yeah. Anyways, let me return the favour, hum?"

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I am a very unpredictable writer who has thousands of ideas but who can't bring herself to write most of the time so it might take me age until I release a new chapter BUT I am actually really excited at the idea of writing this fic so I think I'll be able to publish a chapter every two weeks at least.  
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated. If there are any mistakes or if something doesn't seem to make sense, feel free to point them out. Otherwise, enjoy, and thank you for reading!


End file.
